Google's $400 Pixel 3a was well received when it launched last year, and now the search giant could be preparing to launch another similar phone in the near future.

Google is rumored to be working on a new phone called the Pixel 4a, which, like the Pixel 3a, would serve as a lower-priced alternative to Google's current flagship smartphone. The tech giant hasn't confirmed yet whether or not it's planning to launch a new sequel to the Pixel 3a.

But Mario Queiroz, the former Google executive who previously oversaw its Pixel division before recently leaving for Palo Alto Networks, said before he left the company that it planned to bring premium features to cheaper phones moving forward.

"We think there are a lot of people who would like to get those experiences but they can't now because those phones cost $1,400," he said in an interview with Business Insider last year.

The Pixel 3a starts at $400, which is roughly half the price of the Pixel 4. The larger-sized Pixel 3a XL is priced at $480, also making it noticeably cheaper than the $900 Pixel 4 XL.

Google's Pixel 4a would be entering a more competitive market compared to last year. Apple, for example, just released the iPhone SE in April, a $400 iPhone that looks like the iPhone 8 and directly competes with budget offerings like the Pixel 3a.

Here's a look at what we're expecting to see from the Pixel 4a, based on rumors that have emerged so far.

It will probably look like the Pixel 4, but with some important differences.

The Google Pixel 4
Crystal Cox/Business Insider

If the leaks we've seen so far are to be believed, the Pixel 4a will likely resemble the Pixel 4 in some ways. Renderings that blog 91mobiles published in partnership with Twitter account @OnLeaks suggest that the phone will have a screen measuring around 5.7 or 5.8 inches, which would make it around the same size as the 5.7-inch Pixel 4. The images also suggest the phone will have a rectangular camera module on the back, just like the Pixel 4's.

According to the renderings, the phone would have a thin border that surrounds the entire display, with a hole-punch-like cutout for the camera. That would differ from the Pixel 4, which has two thin notch-like cutouts above and below the display.

Another leak from blog TechnoLike Plus supports this. A leaked video claiming to show the device that was published on March 9 indicates a borderless screen with a hole-punch-like cutout for the front camera. The phone shown in that video also has a rectangular camera module on its rear.

Wallpapers that have reportedly leaked from the Pixel 4a, which TechnoLike Plus also discovered according to XDA, also suggest that the Pixel 4a will have a hole-punch cutout near the top of its display.

The phone is expected to have a screen resolution of 1080 x 2340 with 443 pixels per inch, according to TechnoLike Plus, which would make it roughly the same quality as the Pixel 4, which packs 444 pixels per inch.

If the Pixel 4a is anything like the Pixel 3a, we can also expect it to have a body that's built of polycarbonate rather than glass, which contributes to its lower price.

The Pixel 4a will also have a fingerprint sensor on the back.

The 91mobiles leak also suggests the Pixel 4a will have a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, which may be one of the biggest differences between Google's rumored cheaper phone and the Pixel 4. This feature, too, has appeared in the more recent reported leak from TechnoLike Plus.

Google's latest flagship phone doesn't have a fingerprint sensor, but instead uses facial recognition powered by its Motion Sense technology to recognize when you're near the phone to begin the process of unlocking it. It's unclear whether or not the Pixel 4a would have Motion Sense based on the current leaks. But if Google does add a fingerprint sensor to the Pixel 4a, that could be a sign that it won't support Motion Sense.

It's expected to be one of the few new smartphones with a headphone jack.

The Samsung Galaxy S10, which also has a headphone jack.
Hollis Johnson/Business Insider

Like the Pixel 3a, the Pixel 4a may also come with a headphone jack, according to 91mobiles, @OnLeaks, and TechnoLike Plus. That would make it one of the few smartphones with a headphone jack, along with the Samsung Galaxy S10, Asus Zenfone 6, and a few other devices.

It will have a single camera lens on the back, unlike the Pixel 4.

Another big discrepancy between the Pixel 4 and its cheaper counterpart could be in its camera. The Pixel 4a may only have one camera lens, according to the images posted by 91mobiles and @OnLeaks, while the Pixel 4 has two cameras: one standard lens and one zoom lens.

The phone is expected to have a 12.2-megapixel sensor on the back, similar to the sensor found on the Pixel 4 and Pixel 3a, and an 8-megapixel front-facing camera, according to TechnoLike Plus (via XDA).

It's also likely that the Pixel 4a won't get all of the camera features that are available on the Pixel 4. But it will probably include some of the biggest ones, like Night Sight, which helps the Pixel take better photos in the dark.

Other specifications may include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 processor, 6GB of RAM, 64GB of storage space, and a 3,080 mAh battery.

The Google Pixel 4
Crystal Cox/Business Insider

That's all according to TechnoLike Plus. If the information turns out to be accurate, the Pixel 4a would have a battery capacity that's larger than that of the Pixel 4 but smaller than the Pixel 4 XL's. It'll also have the same RAM as both phones and the same storage option as the entry-level Pixel 4 and 4 XL. It'll also run on the Snapdragon 730 chipset, which is Qualcomm's previous generation processor for mid-range smartphones

It may launch in June or July.

Google

Google's next budget phone may be launching in June or July, if the company maintains a similar launch cycle as last year.

Google is holding a live stream on June 3 to unveil the latest version of Android, an announcement the company usually makes during the Google I/O developer conference that's typically held in May. But Google canceled its I/O conference entirely this year because of the coronavirus, prompting it to make such announcements virtually.

It's possible that the company could also use this livestream to debut the Pixel 4a; it announced the Pixel 3a at Google I/O last year.

However, the phone may debut the following month instead. David Ruddock, editor-in-chief of Android Police, tweeted that the phone may have been delayed into July.